How To Find A Manager For Music: Everything You Need To Know (2020)

How To Start A Music Career (Full-Time) With No Outside Funding or Prior Fanbase:

--

Buy "All You Need Know To About The Music Business" by Donald S. Passman here:

--

Today we’re going to explain how to find a manager for music to help start your music career in a professional and full-time manner.

We’ll break down when you should start looking for a manager to start your music career, how much to expect they’ll want to be paid, and how to find a manager for music that will be passionate about your career.

FULL ARTICLE HERE:

When To Begin Looking For A Manager To Start Your Music Career
It should go without saying that you want to start looking for a manager once you either feel extremely confident about the quality of your music AND/OR you have so many fans or requests for more music that you are overwhelmed…

This is not a trivial point.

Many artists think that they should start looking for a manager the minute they DECIDE to do music or just because they have a strong desire to make a music career…

As opposed to because they are actually confident they will succeed or people are OVERWHELMING them with request to do music full-time.

How To Find A Manager For Music: Best Indicators
The best indicator of all that it’s time to get a manager is when you no longer have the “brain space” or time to allot to, indeed, “managing” the affairs associated with your career.

The other option is when you are so confident that your career would be a profitable enterprise that you want to get someone passionate to go and promote it to the world.

The WORST time to start looking for a manager is when you are feeling like you are struggling in motivation or have little to no music to show for your work and think that somebody else is going to carry the weight for you.

No manager worth their salt will take that seriously AND if you are randomly successful… you are essentially approaching somebody to take away 15%-20% of your earnings just because you want help.

Should You Hire A Manager Before Anyone Else?
The short answer is “yes”. The other option is to hire a lawyer to shop your music around and get your name buzzing, but because managers are usually commission based there is usually no upfront cost associated with taking them on.

This would be an advantage for you if you don’t have a lot of revenue coming in from your music yet.

What Does A Manager Do?
On page 28, Passman states directly, “The personal manager is the single most important person in your personal life.”

The most important aspects of the manager’s job, paraphrasing Passman on the same page, are:

1. Helping you with major business decisions, such as deciding whether to do a record deal, and if so, which record company to sign with; whether to make a publishing deal, how much to ask for, etc.

2. Helping you with the create process, such as selecting a producer, deciding which songs to record, hiring band members, selecting photographers, etc.

3. Promoting your career by hyping you to everyone the manager meets, helping you to coordinate a PR campaign, etc.

4. Assembling and heading your professional team by introducing you to lawyers, business managers, and agents, and overseeing these people’s work.

5. Coordinating your concert tours by working with your agents to make the best tour deals (and other related touring activities)

6. Pounding your record company to maximize the advertising and marketing campaigns for your records, making sure your records are treated as priorities, screaming at them when they do wrong, praising them when they do right, etc.

7. Generally being a buffer between you and the outside world, such as fielding inquiries for commercial endorsements, personal appearances, etc.

How Much Does A Manager Make?
A manager is usually due around 15%-20% of your GROSS earnings…

As opposed to your NET earnings.

An easy way to think of GROSS vs. NET is translate them into simpler words.

GROSS = RAW
NET = TAKE-HOME
So, if you are paid $1000 for a show, your GROSS (or RAW) earnings are $1000.

But let’s say that it costs $500 for your transportation, hotel, and various other performances related activities… then your take-home or NET earnings is only $500.

The big problem is that your manager is due 15% of the $1000 dollars… but receives it out of YOUR $500… leaving you personally with $350!

How To Find A Manager For Music: Negotiating

Now, this might seem overwhelming or like you are taking home practically nothing BUT the good news is that you can negotiate MANY parts of your deal with your manager so you don’t lose so much money.

FULL ARTICLE CONTINUED:

how to find a manager for music,how to find a manager for rapping,how to find a manager for rap,how to find a music manager,how to get a music manager,all you need to know about the music business,artist manager,music manager,music business,music management,music advice,donald passman,music marketing,finding a music manager,artist management,manager for artist,how to find a manager for music producer,music industry advice,music business advice,